POLL: Should Kim Caldwell be Fired?

How do you feel about Kim Caldwell as Tennessee’s head coach?

  • Coaching change needed now

    Votes: 279 68.2%

  • Retain and reassess next year

    Votes: 130 31.8%
  • Total voters
    409
#102
#102
SummittSoul said:
Interesting point around his "revolutionize the game" approach. I could totally see this as a motivation for him now that I think about his hiring patterns. There's a through-line - though I may be off of course.

When you look at hires like Josh Heupel and Kim Caldwell, it doesn’t feel like he’s just hiring coaches. He's hiring systems.

Both came in with very defined and distinct identities built around pace, pressure, and creating stress on the opponent. Not traditional “blue blood resume” hires, but coaches whose styles were clear, "explosive", and, in theory, scalable. Neither was an obvious top of market name, so the bet is on identity vs pedigree.

It also feels like there’s a willingness to get in early before a coach becomes the obvious, expensive choice and bet on that system translating at a higher level. If it works, you get upside, identity, and long-term stability.

There’s also a fan element to it. Both styles are fast, aggressive, and engaging, which matters more than ever in today’s environment when programs care about entertainment + brand + engagement vs just wins.

So maybe the philosophy isn’t just “hire the best name available” but: find a distinct system, believe in it, and bet on it early.

The question is whether that approach consistently translates at this level. And you know, if this is your approach, you accept that there's an inherent risk to sometimes missing as spectacularly as the times you hit.
Click to expand...

That is a very plausible explanation but White should have learned from Heupel then. He really only ran is super uptempo offense for two seasons and then (courtesy of AI):

Following defensive adaptations to stop his wide-split system, Heupel began introducing more creative route concepts, utilized tighter receiver splits, and placed a greater emphasis on the run game to counter defenses that were dropping eight defenders to stop the pass.
Click to expand...
He also discovered that getting off the field so quickly out more pressure on the defense particularly against teams like GA that could run the ball down your throat.

Kim's system starting getting exposed mid-way in her first year. It has a huge vulnerability to passes over the top or quick guards who can break pressure. Defensively, she does not seem to teach fundamentals as the team picks up tons of silly reach in fouls going for the steals that are the heart of the offense.

Not relevant to your post, but others are jumping on the idea that problem CKC had this season was too many blue chip players. Once she has a bunch of hard working mid major, at best, then the system will be at full capacity, so we are better off without the BIG O because she was too talented for the system.

Let's just point our how crazy that rationale is. People are betting that Dawn's Geno's and VIc's who recruit the best talent and adapt their systems to maximize their players collective potential have it completely wrong.
 
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#103
#103
Volstylexx said:
Since fox sports radio wants to use the results from my poll from a month ago as justification that the majority of fans want to see Kim retained, let's take an updated look at where the fanbase now stands. Should Kim Caldwell be fired or retained for another year.
Click to expand...
Thanks for keeping our votes private.
 
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#106
#106
Local Yokel said:
He majorly cares about LVs basketball, just not for the reasons we do. He thought his left field hire was going to revolutionize the game. He said as much. His commitment to the bit will take him down as well.
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I don't think the LVs struggling brings him down. I go back to what I said before. If football succeeds, DW will be safe. Now, if football is only mediocre, natives will get restless, and the LVs situation could come into play as ammunition. But the AD job rests on the success or failure of football. No other sport comes close to the revenue football creates. The only other revenue producing sport is men's basketball. The rest operate at a deficit.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

Tennessee athletics tops $300M in revenue, posts largest surplus in years

The Univ. of Tennessee athletics reached an eye-opening $304M in revenue in FY24-25 and posted its largest surplus in recent memory.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
 
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#109
#109
Coaches are going to teams that barely won 10 games last season. Coaches are getting fired that took their teams to the NCAA tourney. This might be one of the only fanbases where people go to the extreme of believing a good coach and player would overlook or turn down an opportunity to come to Tennessee based on one 16-14 season. It’s okay to share an opinion and be disappointed in the results this season but acting as if it won’t or can’t be turned around quickly is nonsense. Acting as if this isn’t a great job is nonsense.
 
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#111
#111
Weezer said:
I don't think the LVs struggling brings him down. I go back to what I said before. If football succeeds, DW will be safe. Now, if football is only mediocre, natives will get restless, and the LVs situation could come into play as ammunition. But the AD job rests on the success or failure of football. No other sport comes close to the revenue football creates. The only other revenue producing sport is men's basketball. The rest operate at a deficit.

www.sportsbusinessjournal.com

Tennessee athletics tops $300M in revenue, posts largest surplus in years

The Univ. of Tennessee athletics reached an eye-opening $304M in revenue in FY24-25 and posted its largest surplus in recent memory.
www.sportsbusinessjournal.com www.sportsbusinessjournal.com
Click to expand...
The Lady Vols are in ruins
Baseball is burning
Men's basketball is holding steady/consistent deep runs in the tourney
Football made changes to try and avoid going backwards

So by my count that is one sport doing well, one sport doing okay, and two sports that are in ruins/headed that way. If football drops off this fall, his ass will 100% feel the heat
 
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#112
#112
KnoxLikeUs said:
Coaches are going to teams that barely won 10 games last season. Coaches are getting fired that took their teams to the NCAA tourney. This might be one of the only fanbases where people go to the extreme of believing a good coach and player would overlook or turn down an opportunity to come to Tennessee based on one 16-14 season. It’s okay to share an opinion and be disappointed in the results this season but acting as if it won’t or can’t be turned around quickly is nonsense. Acting as if this isn’t a great job is nonsense.
Click to expand...

Big O did.
 
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#113
#113
VolFan_stuck_in_the_901 said:
The Lady Vols are in ruins
Baseball is burning
Men's basketball is holding steady/consistent deep runs in the tourney
Football made changes to try and avoid going backwards

So by my count that is one sport doing well, one sport doing okay, and two sports that are in ruins/headed that way. If football drops off this fall, his ass will 100% feel the heat
Click to expand...
Like I said, it all depends on football.
 
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#114
#114
VolFan_stuck_in_the_901 said:
The Lady Vols are in ruins
Baseball is burning
Men's basketball is holding steady/consistent deep runs in the tourney
Football made changes to try and avoid going backwards

So by my count that is one sport doing well, one sport doing okay, and two sports that are in ruins/headed that way. If football drops off this fall, his ass will 100% feel the heat
Click to expand...
Also, baseball is taking a step back but not really burning. We'll see what Elander does in the offseason to right the ship. People are overreacting to TV leaving.
 
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#116
#116
pasadenavol said:
None of the players are actually gone yet. They are entering the portal and if DW can get a home run hire, the new coach could possibly keep the best current talent and add some pieces from the portal. I cant see how it can work out positively any other way.
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This a great point! I recently thought about this! And if the move is quick enough, could possibly retain Big Oh as well!!

But I honestly don’t think he’s going to fire her, but her Buyout did decrease recently!
 
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#119
#119
Tennessee is not going to have a coaching change. They will absolutely have their pick of talent from the transfer portal over the course of April and May. These players are not going to pass up an opportunity to play in Knoxville. It’s partly why you’re hearing the chirping from the flock that’s out the door.
There has been whispers about who is/will replace them.
GBO🍊.
 
#120
#120
KnoxLikeUs said:
Tennessee is not going to have a coaching change. They will absolutely have their pick of talent from the transfer portal over the course of April and May. These players are not going to pass up an opportunity to play in Knoxville. It’s partly why you’re hearing the chirping from the flock that’s out the door.
There has been whispers about who is/will replace them.
GBO🍊.
Click to expand...
Your posts get more stupid by the day.
 
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#122
#122
The posts are simply too coherent from you to comprehend.
Coach Caldwell and Tennessee are easily getting the last laugh in this situation.
Mark it down tonight.
 
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#123
#123
KnoxLikeUs said:
The posts are simply too coherent from you to comprehend.
Coach Caldwell and Tennessee are easily getting the last laugh in this situation.
Mark it down tonight.
Click to expand...
Like we marked it down last week that Big O had broken her silence and was 💯 coming to TN?

Or mark it down like you did a few weeks ago when we weren’t going to lose to the whole team to the portal.

Can you specify what exactly it is that we’re marking down this week?
 
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#125
#125
Who is “we”? You really think I didn’t know that player would decommit? Just like I knew the others were entering the transfer portal? I let you and the others come on here to leak info so it gets exposed and the sources doing it can be revealed. Just like I’m sitting back and waiting for the replacements to be name like this latest assistant coach hiring plus portal commitments. You can keep focusing on this upcoming freshman that might average 10 ppg and 5-8 rebounds this season. The McDAAG performance was 8 & 9. That’s the bar.
I’m off that I wish them glory.
GBO🍊.


Volstylexx said:
Like we marked it down last week that Big O had
broken her silence and was 💯 coming to TN?

Or mark it down like you did a few weeks ago when we weren’t going to lose to the whole team to the portal.

Can you specify what exactly it is that we’re marking down this week?
Click to expand...
 
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